I know little about wines available in the USA, but I assume that most French wines are also available, and I drink them all the time. I would hesitate to say that know I something about them but I do know what they say here. The problem is they say alot.

For red meat: in general, lighter, more subtle tasting wines are avoided for game because game meat has such a strong taste compared to the regular fare we are used to. This would tend to overpower the taste of the wine. So, what are normally called full-bodied wines in the US are what would be recommended. Since most US wines hit you over the head with strong taste anyway this isn't really much of a consideration when buying a California red wine. If you are buying French wine then avoid wines from the Loire Valley (like Chablis reds and Bourgeuil) and the lighter Beaujolais wines like Morgon. A Beaujolais wine like Brouilly is a good choice from that area and most of the Bordeaux wines (Margaux, St. Emilion,etc.) hold their own with wild boar, roe deer or duck. With Bourgogne region wines (Burgundy) it's a little more complicated because there are both strong character and subtle wines from that region. Look for a Volnay in a Burgundy. Lastly, Nouveau Beaujolais is commercial crap, from any point of view.

Its many good red wine to choose when you made some game meat.
I can see many expert on red wine recomend Burgund or Bordaux if you have
game meat and a cream sauce.
My favorite is Rioja wine from Spain, no matter if I just drink it or have it together with food.

Red is the best, needs to be $10 to $15 per bottle. Anything higher and it does not taste as good. I prefer Austrailian or South African reds. Buy the jazziest label. Works for me.

If you like french reds, chateau neuf du pap is great but expensive. The wine region next to chateau neuf du pap is called the cotes du rhone and produces wine as good but cheaper. Both these regions produce very heavy dry wines and their whites are interesting too although not as well marketed.


Honestly any wine with game is better than no wine, drink what you have and enjoy yourself.


the chef

Fortunately I have hunting friends knowledgable in that regard so I cook and they bring the wine.

BTW, I understand there is a movement underfoot to abolish the appelation regulations. It seems the gurus have passed judgement that location is now less important than production technology. Many of the old appelations are in an uproar but other French vineyards that make outstanding wines are fighting tooth and nail for a more fair rating system.

True you can get good wine without the appelation example pere enselme cotes du rhone villages, says on the label "negociant enlevee du apellation chateau neuf du pape" which means it's under negotiation to be elevated to chateau neuf du pape appelation. It's too bad to abolish a tradition like the French have, it gives some idea what the wine will taste like--if you know your regions. I understand that a good winemaker can do wonders, where an inferior maker can live off the noteriety of the area, but I really like the history involved in some of these regions.

the chef

I may have misrepresented the actual argument due to my unfamiliarity with the industry. I believe the issue is grading based on the final product, not the appelation. No one will have to remove that information from the label.

I like to drink wines with game. In the past I had several bottles of mature Chateauneuf-du-pape red wines that I found matched very well to braised venison. I have yet to find a good replacement, and my few bottles of 2000 Chateauneuf-du-pape are still a little young, I fear. I like California pinot noir (even better, French red Beaune or Pommard premier crus) with venison backstraps sauteed in butter, the pan deglazed with white wine and the liquid thickened with heavy cream. I like California chardonnay with scallops of venison -- thin slices of leg meat pounded thin -- that are salted and peppered and lightly coated with flour, sauteed in butter, some chopped shallots sauteed briefly in the pan, the pan deglazed with white wine, and the liquid thickened with heavy cream.

Try our Terrazas Cabernet Sauvignon or Catena Zapata with red meat and then tell me if these are something which one wishes to treasure...

loki: Your making me hungry. After you brought up backstraps sauteed in butter I had to pull some sitka backstraps out of the freezer for tonight. I drink mostly 3 or 4 year old pinot noir from California's north coast (modest wines but still very very good).

Red wines such as big old vine shiraz go very well with full flavoured venison, mature cheeses etc. Big cabernet sauvignon is also very good with venison, heavy wild boar dishes etc.

A lighter red or a rose goes very nicely with pork. If in summer a rose can be chilled slightly and is very nice with BBQed pork eaten outside under a tree.

A grenache or grenache blend such as Grenache-Shiraz-Touriga or Grenache-Shiraz-Mataro (or Merlot) is very nice with duck, rabbit, hare etc. Also pheasant. Grenache is also known as Mouvedre.

A full flavoured chardonnay also goes well with pheasant.

Whites are great with fish and seafood.


My deer (those in a farm paddock) are 'pre-marinated' by feeding them the grape stalks which are left over after crushing. They love the wet fruity stalks. Later after pressing the grape must, the pressed skins are fed to the deer. Taking into account some of the wines are up to 15 percent alcohol, and this is usually during the rut, the stags are randy, stroppy and drunk.

quote:

Originally posted by NitroX:
My deer (those in a farm paddock) are 'pre-marinated' by feeding them the grape stalks which are left over after crushing. They love the wet fruity stalks. Later after pressing the grape must, the pressed skins are fed to the deer. Taking into account some of the wines are up to 15 percent alcohol, and this is usually during the rut, the stags are randy, stroppy and drunk.

All right party deer get laid!

hey NitroX -

three of the wines we drink regularly are Terra Barossa Shiraz and Boundary Run Barossa Valley GSM and kangarilla Road Shiraz. Do you know these? We don't know much about wine, just whether we like it or not.

quote:

Originally posted by baboon:

quote:

Originally posted by NitroX:
My deer (those in a farm paddock) are 'pre-marinated' by feeding them the grape stalks which are left over after crushing. They love the wet fruity stalks. Later after pressing the grape must, the pressed skins are fed to the deer. Taking into account some of the wines are up to 15 percent alcohol, and this is usually during the rut, the stags are randy, stroppy and drunk.

All right party deer get laid!

A larger winery utilies the skins after pressing by first wringing out all the juice they can, then sending the skins to a distillery from which high proof wine grape spirit is made. The distillery usually pays the market price for spirit after deducting the processing costs. Wineries which make fortified wines such as sherries, ports and tawnies use some of the bi-product grape spirit in the fortifieds to stop the primary fermentation process before dryness is reached.

These skins also make good mulch but as my deer like eating it they can have a party instead.

It would be quite acidic though. I wonder if they get heartburn from it as well as hangovers?

One of the stags was definitely slightly affected this year but generally there is no change in their behaviour.

quote:

Originally posted by cjw:
hey NitroX -

three of the wines we drink regularly are Terra Barossa Shiraz and Boundary Run Barossa Valley GSM and kangarilla Road Shiraz. Do you know these?

CJW

I haven't heard of those labels. My guess is they are export brands. I might do a search and see what comes up.

GSM is a grenache, shiraz and either mataro or merlot blend. It should be a smooth mellow drink now type wine.

Kangarilla is either in McLaren Vale or Langhornes Creek in South Australia.

quote:

just whether we like it or not.

That is the best way to be. Wine is meant for drinking and enjoying.

I have close to 600 botles of wine in the cellar and keep buying more whenevever something turns me on. There are so many wines and so little time. As Chick might say, "Life is to short too drink bad wine."

quote:

Originally posted by cjw:
hey NitroX -

three of the wines we drink regularly are Terra Barossa Shiraz and Boundary Run Barossa Valley GSM and kangarilla Road Shiraz. Do you know these?

OK, "Terra Barossa" is a label owned by Thorne-Clarke Wines.

quote:

Thorn-Clarke is a family owned winery situated on Gawler Park Road, three kilometres from Angaston. The winery cellar door overlooks the rolling hills of Angaston with its century old gum trees and the Thorn-Clarke family vineyards. Sample the Thorn-Clarke's award winning wines in one of the Valley's most picturesque and peaceful settings.

http://www.thornclarkewines.com/\


"Kangarilla Road" winery is in McLaren Vale.

quote:

Kangarilla Road was established by Helen and Kevin O’Brien in 1997 and our philosophy is really quite simple - to produce wines that are fruit driven, balanced and enjoyable drinking young and matured, wines that can be enjoyed with or without food and importantly with friends.

Our vineyard and winery – which was originally established back in 1975 - offers us 30 acres of vines that contribute rich fruit characters so typical of McLaren Vale. Our long, dry growing season can often become an “Indian Summer†allowing us to create Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay rich in fruity aromas and flavours and balanced nicely in the reds with soft approachable tannins. We also produce some slightly less well known varieties to the district, namely Zinfandel, Viognier and Tinta Molle.

http://www.kangarillaroad.com/

Didn't find anything about "Boundary Run".

I haven't tried any of these wines.

Thanks, John. We enjoy these wines at a local restaurant and will be going there this evening. The wine guy there says that he buys the whole stock of wines that he likes so we often are not able to find them for home.

Like I said, we don't know much about wine so I didn't realize that wines are made just for export and not local consumption. Learn something new every day!

Cindy

They might not be 'export labels'. There are a lot of small wineries in Australia and more popping up every week. Try as I might one can not drink a bottle from each.